The 20-Minute Suburb

Reinventing the Suburbs: A Planning Framework for Connected Communities

For decades, the distinctive built fabric of American suburbs has largely depended on car travel and single-use zoning. In the process, this pattern of development has increased sprawl, exacerbated our carbon footprint, and heightened segregation within communities. As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to shape migration patterns, suburbs face new pressures and demands from their changing populations.

Taking a holistic view of these issues, our team posits a planning model termed the “20-minute suburb.” Through careful and strategic interventions, we believe that existing suburban communities can be transformed to become places where residents can meet all of their daily needs within a 20-minute walk. This is a radical reinvention of a suburban planning model that has historically marginalized low-income communities and people of color – instead, we envision the 20-minute suburb as a framework for reconnecting communities and expanding economic and social mobility.

Read the full report here.